Down Under January 2014 | Making our way to Fjordland

I started this post on the way down Crown Range Road yesterday from Wanaka, and if you are keeping up you will know that I was a wee bit distracted by the road. This morning we are in Te Ana-au, getting packed up for a boat and bus ride to Doubtful Sound, followed by a cruise on the Sound. The trip to here, from that pass, was pretty uneventful, but we did have a bit of a shopping spree at The Wool Press in Arrowtown where Tom from France (travelling and working in NZ) helped us try on every piece of Icebreaker Merino wear he had in the store. We came away well supplied for the windy day ahead. Unfortunately it's all torquoise, so from here on out we will look like mom dressed us as twins.

To retreat back to the start of this bit of our trip....Our hosts in Blenheim very wisely suggested we break this north-to-south drive up a bit, and we are so glad we did. It was a hairy few days of driving—a combination of slaloms and downhills with parts of it marked as slow at 25km per hour and easy rain intermittent with outright downpours, followed by very hot sunny periods.

From Nelson we went up and over the Buller Pass in pouring rain and stopped only for a walk across the gorge on a swing bridge. At Hokitika (Hoki for short) we stopped for dinner at the Beachfront Hotel then headed out of town for a peaceful overnight stay at Mirror Creek. Hoki is a bit of fun, so we headed back there for the morning--picture coffee and fudge on main street, shopping at the local artists' cooperative, and groceries with wi-fi. Back on the road we stopped for a picnic lunch between rains at Mahinapua Lake then drove on to Franz Josef where we got our local info and then checked in to our b and b. With long days (sunset near 930) we were able to walk up the glacier walk before dinner and then found a bit of Asian Fusion. Try pan fried calamari with lime sauce and a green curry with Jasmine rice. And we weren't expecting much from the food!.

Thursday morning we were up and out early and again on the advice of our host (can't beat local knowledge) we drove up to Lake Matheson, turning off just before Fox Glacier. The highlight, he said, is the coffee. But the real treat is the view of Mt Cook and the surrounding range. Lake Matheson boasts “reflective views” in its calm waters and it's true. As the clouds lifted over the course of the morning, we got lucky and caught an unobstructed view of her snow-capped peak—it's the highest mountain on the island.

From Fox Glacier it's up and over to Wanaka. This isn't the toughest leg of the trip but it's tough enough. Another slalom on four wheels in parts, followed by a downhill then another GS! For a moment I actually saw the speedometer approach 100k, and the road at least 500m ahead, but those times are rare on these roads. But no one is in a rush, and we've seen no accidents, and very little to suggest it's a problem. It's good to slow down; even if it seems we are in a rush, the travel is really at a slow pace and very relaxing. The scenery is spectacular, the weather is warm and the days are long. Nothing like home this time of year.

Time to fix a lunch and pack for the trip ahead.